Trolley-finder



(No Model.) Hl H. BLANCHARD.

TROLLEY FINDER.

Patentedl July 14, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. BLANCHARD, OF AUGUSTA, MAINE.

TROLLEY-FINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,998, dated July 14,1896. Application tied september 24,1894. serial No. 523,982. (No @demTo all whom t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. BLANCHARD, of Augusta, in the county ofKennebec and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvementknown as a Guide for a Trolley-Arm or Trolley-Finder, of which thefollowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification.

This invention has for its object to provide an attachment to atrolley-arm with a suitable device serving as a guide to assist inreplacing the trolleynvheel upon the wire.

ln accordance with this invention, out wardly-ilaring arms are fastenedto the shaft on which the trolley-wheel revolves, one at each side ofsaid wheel. To replace the trolley-wheel upon the wire, the flaring armsare brought into an upright position by a suitable cord provided forthat purpose, at the same time drawing the trolley-arm down until it isbelow the wire, said flaring arms guiding the wire into the wheel as thecord is slackened. Vhen the trolley-arm is drawn down away from the wireby the cord to permit turning or reversing the same, the arms areautomatically thrown into a vertical position, thus presenting asubstantially vertical, wide, iiaring entrance or guide .to thetrolley-wheel, making it easy to replace the same upon the wire, thesaid arms guiding the wire into the trolley-wheel, but when the arms arein their normal position, which is the positionoccupied when the car isin motion, they are in a hanging position, which is below thelongitudinal center line of the trolley-wire, so that they are out ofthe way of and will pass freely under any span-wire or obstruction uponthe trolley-wire without striking the same.

This invention has the advantage of being easily attached to anyordinary trolley-arm as now used.

Figure l of the drawings herewith shows the side view of thetrolley-wheel with the larms B of the invention in their normalposition, while the wheel is resting against the trolley-wire. Fig. 2represents my invention as viewed from the rear and looking toward thedirection of the car in motion. Fig. 3 represents a side view of myinvention with one side plate or cover of the mechanical applianceremoved and the arms elevated in position as when used as guides tothe-trolleywire. Fig. 4 represents a vertical section of the inventionwith the arms elevated.

The fiaring arms B are firmly attached to the shaft A on each end, andproject from the point of attachment parallel to each other to a pointoutsideof the periphery of the wheel, where a shoulder is formed in thearms and represented in Figs. 2 and 4 by the letter S, and from theshoulder on either side of the wheel the arms B are outwardly, as shownin Figs. 2 and 4, for the purpose of guiding the wire directly into .thetrolleywheel. h

The shaft A is journaled into the boxes C on either side, as shown inFigs. 2 and 4.

The head of the arms B, through which the shaft A is fitted and securelyfastened, is circular in shape, with a shoulder P extending from the armproper a quarter of the way around the head and on the upper edge, theedges being flat in order to serve as a pulley for the chains D to runon, as will be seen in Fig. 3.

The chains D are fastened on either side to the shoulders P at the pointX and they other end to the rods E, which slide on either side in theinterior blocks H' and H2. The two rods'E are connected at their lowerends by the link F, to which the operating-cord is attached, as shown inFigs. 2 and 4.

A coil-spring O is attached one end to the shaft A on the outer side ofthe arms B; and the other end is fastened to the boxes C at the point V.The coil-springs O are for the purpose of returning the arms B from thevertical to their normal position after using, as shown in Figs. l and2.

The head of the arms B, coil-springs O, chains D, rods E, and the twointerior blocks l-I and H2 are inclosed in and protected by the twoblocks C, which are journaled onto the shaft A, as shown in Figs. 2 and4.

To replace the trolley upon the wire after the same has accidentally orotherwise been removed, -the rope which is attached to the link Fconnecting the two rods E is drawn down until the lips L on the upperend of the rods E strike the upper surface of the interior blocks H',thus unwinding the chains D from the head of the arms B, throwing saidICO arms B into an upright position, as shown in Figs. 3 and et.

After the trolleywire has been guided into the wheel, the coil-springs Oreturn the arms B back to their normal position, thus winding' thechains D on the head of arms B. The rods E, being attached at the upperend to the lower end of chains D, are drawn up through the interiorblocks Il and H2 until the lips L2 on the lower end of rods E strike thelower surface of the interior blocks H2, leaving the arms B and theboxes C at rightangles, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

I do not intend to limit my invention to the precise construction of theparts in the form as herein described and shown bythe several figures,'for the reason that the same application of parts maybe easily variedwithout in the least changing the mechanical application of the same ordeparting from the scope oi' my invention.

I claim'- l. In a trolley-inder, the right and left flaring a'rms B,provided with the shoulders P, the chains D, supported by saidshoulders, the sliding rods E, provided at each end with the projectinglips L', L2, and the terminal link F, adapted to support theoperatingcord and to unite said sliding rods, all substantially in themanner and for the purpose specified.

2. In a trolley-.finderthc combination with the chains, the iiaringarms, and the sliding rods, as hereinbefore described, of the boxes C,provided with interior blocks Il', Il?, adapted to prescribe theVertical movement of the sliding rods E, the coil-spring O, attached tothe shaft A, and the chains D, substantiall y in the manner specified.

In combination with the boxes C, the sliding rods E, and the chain D,the flaring arms adapted to be thrown into a vertical position by anoperating-cord, automatically to recover the trolley wire, the coilsprinadapted to return said arms to their normal position below saidtrolley-wire, the operating-cord,the shaft A, supporting said 'fiar-inarms and the tr lleywhcel, substantially in the manner and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciiication, in thepresence olf two subscribing witnesses, on this 19th day ot' September,A. D. 1804:.

HARRY ll. BLANCHARD.

lVitnesses:

Il. L. BLANCHARD, SUSAN J. BLANCHARD.

